Sony markets Housemarque’s Returnal as the next must-own, AAA, PlayStation 5 exclusive. Although the game certainly looks like a big-budget extravaganza, the underlying gameplay is decidedly indie. Returnal is an uber-challenging roguelike in the vein of The Binding of Isaac, Dead Cells, or Hades; God of War, Ghost of Tsushima, or Marvel's Spider-Man, it is not. There’s an audience for the genre, and Returnal appeals to that fanbase with its life-death cycles and satisfying gunplay. That said, the average person may balk at the Returnal's brutal difficulty, especially when the game costs a hefty $69.99. A Vicious Cycle In Returnal, you play as an astronaut named Selene. She voyages to the planet Atropos to discover the source of a mysterious alien signal transmitting from the world. Selene crash lands, and soon discovers the body of another female astronaut. Listening to the deceased’s audio logs, she hears her own voice saying things she had never recorded. After an alien mons...
Returnal expertly weaves shoot 'em up and Metroidvania mechanics into its base, roguelike gameplay. Though its tight controls, visual fidelity, and intriguing story may entice you to play, the game's almost insurmountable difficulty will certainly alienate a portion of its intended audience.
Stunning, next-gen graphics; Unpredictable, ever-shifting environments; Tight controls
Unforgiving difficulty